Hi guys, wondering if someone can do a little help/tweak of my resume. I've read on this site that sometimes if your major GPA is higher than your cumulative, it's beneficial to just list that instead. I'm from a non-target, so I'd like to be able to make myself look as good as possible. My major GPA is .3 higher than my cumulative, and it's in the area where my major GPA is actually solid and my cumulative is not. (Think around 3.6/3.7 to 3.3/3.4 area). This being said, if say we apply for a summer internship in the fall, can we add classes we are currently taking and their grades to that GPA. Let's say I have a 3.7, but in the fall I do well enough to bring that to a 3.8. Can I list a 3.8 on my resume and write something like (with current courses included) or something along those lines?
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Assume I'm a recruiter and I see you've only listed your major GPA. Know what question would jump into my head? Where's the cumulative? Are you hiding something? Thus, if you want to show strength in your concentration without appearing deceitful, the trick is to always list both.
To address the second question, you can always factor in the grades of classes you're currently taking but do it with a grain of salt. Let's say you predict your GPA will be a 3.5 at the end of fall so you list that. What if you don't meet your anticipated grades and end up with a 3.39? When they do background checks mid-Spring, this will ultimately work in your detriment and could lead to your offer being rescinded.
Right. I mean, considering all the recruiting happens midway through my classes in the fall, I could probably try and make a solid estimate on how my grades for that semester will end up. That being said, it wouldn't be lying necessarily, correct? I don't want to blatantly lie and nor would I be if I factored in my current grades which averaged to a 3.6, but then turned out to be marginally lower just because I didn't finish as well as I had performed midway through that semester. I just don't want to get rescinded, but I also want to land an interview w/ the chance of getting the offer and I think my only shot of doing so is incorporating my grades during the semester to (in effect) "inflate" them a bit higher without lying.
I completely get what you mean. All I can say is be conservative - don't predict yourself getting a 4.0 or a 3.7 unless you're 95% sure you should be in that range. I'll probably end up doing the same thing this coming fall since my GPA isn't too high but I'd rather understate "the jump" than over state it [i.e inflate GPA by 0.1 as opposed 0.25].
Scurti, I listed my major gpa throughout my junior and senior recruiting cycles because it was much better than my cumulative. I listed it as just the number and did not distinguish on my resume whether it was cumulative or major. I only had one recruiter to break down my major and cumulative which was a .5 spread (3.8 vs 3.3). She had no further questions beyond that and I went on to secure the deal with the firm.
Advice: If you can own it, own it. I was fully prepared to answer any questions that may have been asked. I was supporting myself full-time, working 20 hours a week, active in my fraternity and I did not care for my general educational curriculum. I was confident in the fact that I could sell the second half of my college career as I had far better marks and it was the only course-work that pertained to the job I was applying to. If you don't think you can sell it or do not have the confidence to put it on your resume, you'll get ripped to shreds in interviews and pre-screenings. Choose wisely.
dedline For me, it's a pretty big swing. I currently have a 3.0, but am working hard and it's realistic that I'll have the 3.3 cumulative and 3.6 major GPA as I finished my first semester of sophomore year. 1) What would you recommend I list? 2) Did you ONLY list your major GPA?
If you read my post and after reading your reply, do not list it. You're a rising sophomore, you've got plenty of time to make up ground before shit really starts to matter (i.e. junior year).
Cheers.
Bump
Ugrad Degree GPA or current cumulative Grad GPA? (Originally Posted: 11/19/2012)
If you are applying for jobs and are currently in grad school, when they ask for your GPA is it okay to put your current grad school GPA instead of your undergrad degree GPA?
I'm considering going for an MSF in the evenings starting in spring but would like to apply to FT positions while doing so and wanted to know if this was okay to do in the future. My ugrad GPA was in engineering and Econ and was 3.02 at a non-target and I know I can do much better in grad school.
I would think so, its not like you are lying. If you have a current GPA in your most recent schooling, I would think you would put that.
Yes, it's okay. And yes, everyone gets a higher GPA in grad school...
Just know, if an employer cares about GPA: A) they're aware that grad school GPAs are inflated B) your grad school GPA won't mean much until after you've had ~6 classes (e.g. two semesters worth).
You might be able to get around the ~6 classes thing by putting "Expected GPA upon graduation: #.##" or something like that. That's kind of cheesy though.
Is grad school really easier than an econ/finance undergrad degree? I thought that grades were inflated just because as you are older and have put more of a monetary investment into the degree, that one would naturally just try harder in grad school vs. undergrad.
Well GPA for the most part is just used as a screening tool so I was hoping to get a high grad GPA to put on applications. By the time someone is asking me to explain it, I'm already in an interview, right?
Grades are inflated for a few reasons. Here is a two part short answer: A) 90+% of programs have a policy that a student can only receive X "C"s as a grad student. If you receive your X + 1 "C", you get thrown out. Professors know of their schools policy and curve grades so that 90+% of the students in a course get a "B-" or higher. B) Because of the policies mentioned in part A. The university administration ENCOURAGES this behavior of professors because the university has an interest in their grad students getting good jobs. Universities publish their graduation & placement rates to attract new students. They don't want all their MBAs graduating with a 2.3 and then be unable to find work.
Imagine you're comparing two schools... all else equal... you're likely to pick the school with a higher grad/placement rate. Since a few schools have started this trend, most have followed. It's like being in a price war... when prices are equivalent, one can compete on differentiating other aspects of their product. But as soon as someone make the first price cut, the competitors must react. In the war of grad school, the "price has been cut" so to speak... and now the majority of schools do this.
This is common practice among PUBLIC institutions and FOR-PROFIT institutions. Also note, in public schools, their feeling is, "if you're accepted and pay your tuition, you deserve to pass."
This is why it's important to go into a TOP program. Who cares if you get a 2.0 from HYPS... the important part is that you got in!
Major/Overall GPA difference (Originally Posted: 09/13/2012)
So I am a sophomore and planning next semester's classes right now. finance major but have not taken any actual finance classes yet. next semester I am only taking 1, it's a relatively easy course and a few people have told me to take only that, concentrate on it a lot to get an A so that first semester junior year you can list your major GPA as 4.0. however if I only had 3.5-3.6 cumulative would recruiters look at this as bad, even if it was technically true? would a good explanation be poor freshman grades?
It depends on whether or not you're planning on working in IBD for your sophomore summer. If you are, definitely use your cumulative. The recruiters aren't stupid.
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